


Nameless, Worthy (Infamous)

by jacksgreysays (jacksgreyson)



Category: Descendants (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-22
Updated: 2016-08-22
Packaged: 2018-08-10 08:19:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7837333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jacksgreyson/pseuds/jacksgreysays
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(Unrelated, untitled ficlets originally posted on tumblr.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. (2015-07-31)

They’re rotten to the core.

It’s hard not to be, considering who their parents are.

They’re the meanest, cruelest, most ruthless, and most evil on an island already filled with all of Auradon’s more unsavory characters.

And they’re all siblings.

Four of the worst villains forced to share real estate? Either they’d kill each other or… collaborate.

Jay’s the first, the oldest, a product of a rare moment of intimacy between his parents. His existence led to the girls’ mothers wanting scions of their own. And, after seeing infant Evie and Mal become witches in the making, Cruella wanted one just for herself–hence Carlos.

With pedigrees like that, raised in an environment like that, no wonder why they’re the Isle’s biggest bads.

* * *

Mother says that this is their chance for revenge. But as far as Mal is concerned? She doesn’t want to waste her own opportunity for power on a failure’s paltry schemes.

Why take power and hand it over to some has-been when she could just keep it for herself?

They were always greater than their parents. Why settle for dusty old dreams, when they can make their own a reality?

* * *

Evie doesn’t need a mirror to know she’s beautiful. She doesn’t need one to know she’s smart and talented, either. Why would Evie choose some airhead of a prince nowhere near in line for the throne, when she can build her own future?

The poisoned apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, maybe, but her poisons are far more deadly–and fetch a much higher price. Clothes and jewels certainly aren’t going to pay for themselves. Though having the heir to the kingdom’s gemstone mines wrapped around her little finger? Terribly convenient, wouldn’t you say?

* * *

Carlos has never seen a dog before, but he’s always been told that they’re rabid pack animals. Mom may have gotten the rabid part wrong, but they’re definitely pack animals–and once a dog has made you its alpha, they’ll fight a dragon for you.

He flees the Isle as soon as he can because he knows there’s way more out there for him. Here’s something Mom never taught him: a hint of kindness beats any amount of cruelty in getting what you want. Whether with animals or humans, he’s more suited to the title of charming than those princes ever were.

* * *

One thing Jay has known his entire life is that a group is stronger than an individual. It’s written in his bones, woven deep into the fiber of his being, because that’s what being an older brother is all about. He parrots what his father says–nonsense about there not being a team in I–because that’s all his father ever expects from him.

But he’s more than that, he knows it, and his siblings know it, that’s all that matters. There’s a reason Jafar couldn’t hold on to the throne when he had it. You can’t be a leader if you’re alone. And anyway, it’s better to be a winner as a follower, than a loser as a loner.

Though, as long as he’s the fist? He’s perfectly happy

* * *

The way Mal sees it? She can hand the wand over to Mother and watch the world crumble into the festering ruins like the Isle, or she could hand it back to a fairy who doesn’t use it. Who displays it in plain sight, in a museum she and her siblings have already broken into with less than a day of preparation.

Not that she needs a paltry stick for power. No, power isn’t magic–though she has enough of that–it’s words. So easy to turn a daughter against her mother, to have future queens in her debt, to make a boy king fall in love.

Every good King has a Queen. And every great Witch has a Beast.


	2. (2015-09-06)

In one universe, while the four Lost kids are working on love potion cookies, Lonnie walks in, adds chocolate chips, cries, then leaves. With a tear of human sadness and despite the addition of chocolate, the potion works as advertised, making the consumer fall in love with the first person they see. In that universe, it makes Ben fall in love with Mal.

This is not that universe.

In this universe, Lonnie does not appear. There are no chocolate chips or tears of human sadness, and so there are no enchanted cookies. They have to use a different spell. One less… controllable.

“I can barely read anything on this page,” Mal complains, spell book flipped open to a different section.

“Let me see,” Evie says, and Mal lays the book flat so all of them can look.

They stare.

“Are you sure those are words?” Jay asks incredulously, not even flinching when Mal smacks his arm, because, well. Scribbles would be a generous description.

“The pictures are pretty clear,” Carlos says optimistically. Even if magic isn’t one of his skills, he has experience with making things work with patchwork instruction manuals–surely it’s the same with spells. It really isn’t.

“I suppose… We don’t have any other options, and we’re on a deadline.” Mal says, considering, before deciding on a course of action, “We’ll do it. Evie, first things first. We need this,” she points at the largest drawing: a flat, six petaled flower with a long thin stem. The top two petals are shaded in, no doubt meant to be a color of some sort, while the bottom four petals are left unshaded.

“Mirror, mirror… full of power,” Evie begins, “Show us where to find that flower.” The swirling silver smoke parts to show a field with dark purple and white flowers peeking through the blades of grass, a small stream flowing along one side. “Not so close,” Evie sighs, and the image zooms out to show the sign of Auradon Prep.

“It’s on campus?” Mal asks, disbelieving. Why would a key ingredient for a love spell just be growing where any student could get there hands on it? That’s stupid. Well, stupid of Auradon–convenient for her, so she shouldn’t complain.

“This campus is huge, though” Jay says, “that would still take us forever–”

“No wait,” Carlos interrupts, “I think I know where that is. I wasn’t sure, since the drawing is in black and white, but I’ve seen those flowers before.”

In the woods beyond the tourney field and bleachers is a deer trail, a narrow path that leads to a tiny meadow full of purple and white flowers. Carlos and Dude have been there before, found it on their very first day together. They go back, occasionally, if Carlos isn’t too tired from tourney practice to run around with his dog.

It’s easy to find again, even in the dark of the night. The four of them spend twenty minutes picking flowers, which, when Evie says so aloud with an amused smirk, causes Mal to scowl fiercely and Jay to stop.

“It’s for a diabolical scheme, okay. I’m not turning into some kind of airhead who sings to animals.” Mal says crossly, before adding, “Keep picking, Jay.”

“How many do we even need?” He grumbles, but does as she says anyway.

“Well, seeing as how we don’t have actual instructions, we need as many as we can get.”

In the end, they clear the field, flowers gathered into Carlos’ jacket as an impromptu bag, before heading back to the boys’ dorm room. They have a love spell to figure out.

But even if the pictures are pretty clear–flower, eyes, heart–the lack of words really is a problem. Not an insurmountable problem, no, but it definitely leaves a lot to interpretation. Like, say, everything.

“Ugh,” Mal groans after attempt almost two hours of trying to decode the scribbles, “Maybe we should go back to the first spell.”

“Tear of human sadness,” Jay reminds her with a grunt, sprawled on his bed and nearly half asleep, but stubbornly blinking his eyes open.

Mal just groans again, throwing her head forward into the cradle of her curled arms on the table.

“Why don’t we just wing it?” Carlos’ voice pipes up from behind her, where he and Evie have been lounging on his bed.

“You mean like the museum heist? Winging it like that?” Mal scoffs without looking up.

“Well, not quite like that,” Evie says coyly, “We have more than enough of these flowers, we can take our time and experiment. Imagine the havoc we can wreak on the school.”

That idea does sound appealing, Mal lifts her head and even Jay sits up in interest. Then startles–“What are you wearing?” He asks.

Mal turns and frowns at what she sees.

Carlos weaving a small wreath of the flowers around Dude’s neck, and Evie straightening a larger wreath as a crown on Carlos’ head.

Mal would scold them for using up their main ingredient, but the four of them really did pick an awful lot of those flowers. They have plenty to spare. But… just so it’s not a total waste, “You’re wearing that to classes tomorrow.”

Who knows, maybe something interesting will happen.


	3. (2016-07-26)

The stories go a little differently.

Small details made important when the ending turns one way instead of the other.

Like sparks turning into bonfires, and flapping wings turning into storms.

The queen triumphant, the kingdom stolen. Ambition and cunning and power rewarded.

All because of one tiny change.

* * *

It starts like this:

The Evil Queen ascends the throne, and knows she must get rid of Snow White. It is not a matter of beauty, but a matter of politics–for now, she is queen regent, throne gained by marriage, but that will be taken from her as soon as Snow White comes of age.

She summons her best hunter–not a man who can be swayed by a pretty face and a couple of tears, but a woman whose eccentricity is allowed because of her ruthlessness.

Normally, the Huntress only cares for exotic furs, but for this one hunt she doesn’t mind coming back with a different trophy instead.

For true, the Evil Queen feasts on a princesses’ heart that night, and thus solidifies her reign.

Long live the Queen.

* * *

Then it keeps going:

Maleficent is, above all else, a being of magic. The being of magic, even, if she’s going to honest. No other fairies are nearly as powerful as she is, and any other magical being that is more also has far less freedom.

When it comes to magic, nothing can defeat her.

Which is why, when it comes to the little princess and those second-rate fairies, she’s not worried about her curse failing.

What she’s worried about is that terrible little prince she’s betrothed to breaking it.

All curses can break, even hers.

But if the little prince is too distracted by, say, a neighboring kingdom’s Queen declaring war to save this kingdom. Well, then.

She’s not much one for mortals, but alliances have their benefits.

Maybe she’ll give the Queen a thank you gift.

* * *

Then it spreads further:

The sultan is a buffoon, so it’s not as if Jafar doesn’t already run the kingdom, but there’s a difference between running it and ruling it and Jafar knows which one he’d rather have.

There’s an Empress in the cold lands to the west, one backed by a magic creature. It doesn’t hurt to be friendly with one’s peers, especially one who thinks so much alike.

And anyway, as royal vizier, it’s Jafar’s job to make sure foreign relations run as smoothly as possible.

The diamond in the rough nearly ruins everything, but the Empress from the cold lands sends… an ambassador of sorts.

When the Huntress is done, she considers her trophies. The monkey’s fur is coarse and no doubt flea-ridden, but the tiger pelt? She could make quite the coat out of that.

It’s not as if the new Sultan minds.

* * *

And so the story changes:

The Empress has conquered three kingdoms now, her influence spreading, and it’s unlikely she’ll be ousted. Certainly not with Maleficent on her side.

It’s a large amount of land and people to govern, though no one could say the Empress is bad at her job, no matter how evil she may be. But Maleficent does owe her a thank you gift.

The neighboring kingdom has recently lost their king and queen, leaving only a young bratty prince in charge.

In homage, Maleficent plays the part of an old woman and curses the entire castle.

There is little resistance, with no royalty to stop her; the Empress expands her empire. 

She gives the Huntress a thank you gift of her own: a very unique hunt with quite the exotic prey.


End file.
